EZRA TAYLOR FACES TOUGHEST TEST AGAINST WILLY HUTCHINSON IN MANCHESTER THIS MONTH
Ezra Taylor opens up about being deported, his bond with Malik Scott, and his plan to upset Willy Hutchinson on January 24.
For a while, people have said Nottingham's Ezra Taylor had it all, but he didn't truly believe it until he teamed up with Malik Scott.
Taylor, with a record of 13-0 and 9 KOs, was doing great in his first 11 fights. So, some were surprised when he moved to Los Angeles to train with Scott earlier this year.
The new setup with Scott, a former heavyweight fighter turned coach, didn't start smoothly. Taylor spent 23 hours in a U.S. detention center after going to Mexico to watch Gerald Washington's fight. When he tried to come back to the U.S., they told the 31-year-old he was being sent back to the UK.
“Don’t worry, we’re settled here now,” Taylor says from his temporary place in West Hollywood. Yeah, I got deported last time. That was two weeks before the Troy Jones fight, crazy. Being stuck in detention for 23 hours isn't ideal when you're trying to get ready for a fight.”
But it didn't throw him off. He won his first fight with Scott by beating Jones, his only undefeated opponent, over 10 rounds. Then, five months later, Taylor and Scott got their second win together when Taylor stopped Steed Woodall in the ninth round at London’s O2 Arena.
Now, Taylor is back in LA to get ready for his next fight, which he calls the toughest one yet. On January 24, Taylor is set to go up against Willy Hutchinson, who's ranked No. 10 by The Ring, at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. For the first time, the odds are against Taylor.
But he thinks he has an advantage.
Usually, it's a 1v1 in the ring, Taylor says. But now it feels like a 2v1 because I have Malik in my corner. That’s how much confidence I have since we started working together. I'm very thankful to have Malik in my life. He really changes everything.
“He’s like a father and a guide. If I could be like someone, I would choose him. He’s got great morals and beliefs. I’m learning a lot from him both in and out of the ring. We both believe in God, so we connect on that, too. It's more than just a boxing thing. We have a strong relationship.”
Taylor skipped Christmas with his family in Nottingham to focus on training camp, which continued without a break over the holidays.
“I’m working hard here,” he says with a smile. No Christmas for me.
“This has been a long and helpful camp. I'm getting used to the climate and changes because you have to get used to them. America's totally different from the UK. The training is hard, but you have to get used to it. And you can see the results in my fights. I'm getting better all the time.
“I've got an apartment here where I relax. I just go back and forth to training. I train in North Hollywood, stay in West Hollywood, and train two or three times a day.
“We can put in the time, and we don't have a strict schedule. We don't have to stick to a one-hour session; we'll go for two if we need to. If I need to perfect a left or right, we'll keep working on it until I get it right. So, it's great. The way we work together is great.”
What about Hutchinson, who is younger but has more experience? He lost a close fight to Joshua Buatsi in September 2024 and is now determined to get a shot at a world title.
“We already have a plan,” Taylor says. We know what we need to do. It's nothing out of the ordinary for me.
“That’s what I keep telling people. You've probably seen the best of Willy Hutchinson, but you haven't seen the best of me yet. People should remember that.
“We know he switches stances and is hard to read. So, you have to spar with everyone—southpaws, orthodox fighters, and switch-hitters. The sparring here in LA is intense. It tests you.
“Being here is great because they have all kinds of styles to deal with. And I trust Malik completely. He's a genius at what he does.
“I'm excited. I don't have to do anything crazy in the ring. I'm just going to go in there and be the best Ezra Taylor.”
THE GYM TRUTH: HOW FABIO WARDLEY SURVIVED BRUTAL EARLY SPARS TO BUILD A CHAMPIONSHIP CHIN
Fabio Wardley opens up about getting beaten up by Daniel Dubois in old spars ahead of their WBO heavyweight title fight.
Fabio Wardley isn’t shy about his history with Daniel Dubois. He knows Dubois had the upper hand during their early sparring days, but he’s telling him not to get too comfortable banking on those old sessions as they head into their WBO title fight on May 9.
Both grew up in England, so naturally, their paths crossed while they were climbing the ranks. Wardley admits Dubois “punched him up” nearly ten years ago in those sparring matches. Still, he insists Dubois shouldn’t read too much into what happened back then. Times have changed.
“I’ve got no problem saying he beat me up. But I wouldn’t want him to think those old sparring sessions mean anything now,” Wardley said to BoxingScene. “That was me, just starting, barely having any experience, while he already had an amateur career under his belt, junior champion, GB champion, all those accolades. I was just a guy who picked up some gloves and thought, ‘Let’s give this a go with Dubois.’”
Wardley’s got a few years on Dubois, 31 now, three years older. Funny enough, they both went pro on April 8, 2017. The big difference? Wardley skipped the amateur circuit and jumped straight into pro fights, while Dubois had fought 18 times as an amateur before turning professional.
Wardley’s pretty open about the old training days. He admits Dubois boxed better back then, but he never saw him as some unbeatable star. Among all the hitters Wardley sparred with, guys like Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte, and Filip Hrgovic, Dubois was just another tough competitor. Nothing out of the ordinary.
“He was one of the big punchers, sure, but there were plenty of those at the time,” Wardley said. “You had Chisora, Whyte, Hrgovic, Riakporhe, even all of them could really hit. Dubois was solid, but not head-and-shoulders above the rest.”
Wardley also remembers getting rocked by cruiserweights, like Richard Riakporhe. He laughs about how green he was, soaking up punches without moving his head and feeling the effects afterwards. That was years ago, though. He’s not the same fighter.
Going into his first defence of the WBO regular heavyweight title, Wardley has a 20-0-1 record. He picked up the interim belt by stopping Joseph Parker in the eleventh round in October 2025, which stirred some controversy, before getting promoted to full champion.
Dubois stands at 22-3 as he approaches his seventh world title shot. He’s coming off a tough loss, knocked out by Oleksandr Usyk in the seventh round for the undisputed heavyweight crown last July. That’s his second loss to Usyk in just five fights.
So yeah, Dubois once got the better of Wardley, but when the bell rings on May 9, the old stories won’t matter much. Wardley’s out to prove he’s a different guy now.
NAOYA INOUE SURVIVES JUNTO NAKATANI CHALLENGE TO KEEP UNDISPUTED FEATHERWEIGHT CROWN
Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed junior featherweight title in a classic unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani in Tokyo.
Naoya Inoue showed up at the Ohashi Boxing Gym in Yokohama with a big smile on his face; everyone could tell he was riding high after last night’s fights.
He sat next to his brother, Takuma Inoue, the WBC bantamweight champ, and both of them had just defended their world titles at the Tokyo Dome. For Naoya, the night was all about facing his toughest opponent yet at junior featherweight. He managed to edge out Junto Nakatani in a fight that went back and forth and walked away with a unanimous decision to keep his undisputed crown.
This was a huge deal: two guys from Kanagawa squaring off in what people called the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. Honestly, the match delivered. The momentum swung between them; both had their moments. In the end, Inoue did just enough to pull ahead on the scorecards.
After such a close fight, everyone’s talking about a rematch. Nakatani seemed to be finding his rhythm in the middle rounds, but then there was an accidental head clash in the 10th that cut him. That’s when Inoue took control and finished strong.
“I’m not sure yet. If enough people want it, a rematch could happen." Inoue said he’s now 33-0, with 27 KOs. “Like I said last night, I’ve got options, but nothing is decided. I’m thinking about a new stage, and I’ll talk with Mr Ohashi about that.”
That “new stage” probably means moving up in weight. But judging by Saturday, he might still have business to settle in his own division.
There was one moment that summed up the fight. Both guys were trading punches at a high level, slipping and countering at the same time. Nobody landed, and they stopped to share a quick smile. It was surreal, but it showed just how much respect they had for each other.
“I was fighting while really feeling Nakatani’s skill and spirit,” Inoue said. “I’m pretty sure he felt the same. We both enjoyed that little space where neither could hit the other. That smile just happened.”
Despite all the mutual respect, Inoue took over when he had to. After Nakatani got cut in the 10th, Inoue had his best round; he hurt Nakatani several times and messed up his orbital bone with a sharp left hand.
“I didn’t go in with the sole intention to knock him out,” Inoue admitted. “It was complicated, a feeling I’ve never had before.”
